PUC approves sale of Shenandoah water authority
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission formally approved the sale of Shenandoah’s water authority to one of the largest public water companies in the country moments ago.
The sale of the Municipal Authority of the Borough of Shenandoah (MABS) has been wading through bureaucratic red tape for the past few years. Shenandoah Borough Council approved the $12 Million sale to Aqua Pennsylvania in the fall of 2020.
Throughout the PUC approval process, the sale has seen opposition from at least a dozen local residents.
At their regular meeting today, the PUC unanimously approved the sale with two other matters in a single motion without discussion.
No public comment was permitted at the meeting “since adequate forums have been made available for public participation in cases before the Commission.”
The commission accepted the recommended order provided by Administrative Law Judge Jeffrey A. Watson.
That order included a provision which would reject Shenandoah and Aqua’s effort to continue to provide the area’s volunteer fire service with free water service until Aqua’s next rate case.
The decision allows the sale to move forward towards closing.
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